*Deadline fixed for start of work under DUGJY, IPDS
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Apr 19: Taking serious note of slow progress on three major power projects, which otherwise have potential to make J&K self reliant, Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today directed the Power Development Department to get cleared all the bottlenecks in the Ratle and Sawalakote Hydroelectric Projects in a time bound manner. He has also asked for expeditious completion of remaining work on Baglihar Stage-II so as to ensure its commissioning in the month of September this year.
Chief Minister issued these directions after getting detailed presentation on all the aspects relating to the power sector from the Principal Secretary to Government, Power Development Department, Sundeep Kumar Nayak during the Cabinet meeting, reliable sources told EXCELSIOR.
Mufti Sayeed was apprised that due to slackness on the part of a company engaged to carry out electro-mechanical work for Stage-II of the Baglihar, the work on the project could not be completed till date despite the fact that project was scheduled to be commissioned during the current month.
Accordingly, Chief Minister directed the Principal Secretary to ensure that work on the project is geared up and remaining work is completed within next four months. “Mufti Sayeed desired to commission Stage-II of Baglihar Project in the month of September this year”, they informed.
With the commissioning of 450 Mega Watt capacity Stage-II of Baglihar Hydroelectric Project, the generation of electricity from State owned projects would get increased to more than 1000 Mega Watts from 761 Mega Watts at present. “Chief Minister made it clear that no more delay in completion of this project would be tolerated”, sources said.
As far as 850 Mega Watts Ratle Hydroelectric Project in Drabshala area of Kishtwar district is concerned, the Cabinet was informed about the conditions put by project executing agency-M/s GVK from Hyderabad before resuming work on the project.
It was brought to the notice of the Cabinet that company is demanding waiving of Water Usage Charges imposed under J&K Water Resources (Regulation and Management) Act, exemption of taxes on the machinery to be brought into the State for project and compensation for financial losses suffered due to halting of work on the project before resuming work, sources said.
Chief Minister directed the Principal Secretary Power Development Department to invite the company officials for detailed deliberations and clear the bottlenecks without putting State to any financial burden within shortest possible time, sources informed. Stating that decisive steps would have to be taken with regard to this project, sources said, “there is a general consensus among the top brass of the PDD that conditions of the company cannot be accepted in the light of the provisions of Tariff Based Bidding”.
They further said, “either the company would have to re-start work strictly as per Tariff Based Bidding provisions or it will have to compensate the State as per the clauses of the agreement”.
As far as Sawalakote Project is concerned, Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Nirmal Singh, who is also holding the portfolio of Power Development Department, directed the Principal Secretary to vigorously follow Detailed Project Report (DPR) clearance with Central Electricity Authority. “The fate of this project, which would generate 1856 Mega Watts, is hanging in balance during the past many years and unless we follow it vigorously it would not see light of the day”, sources said quoting Chief Minister’s observations made in the Cabinet.
About the transmission system, it was decided that intra-state transmission system would be created and strengthened through Tariff Based Bidding and for this directions were issued for completion of necessary formalities in a time bound manner. The PDD officers were also directed to make a presentation before the Union Power Ministry for requirement of transmission network in order to evacuate solar power from Ladakh.
It is pertinent to mention here that Ladakh region would generate 7500 Mega Watts solar energy, which include 2000 Mega Watts during first phase and unless work on the transmission network is initiated at the earliest there would be problems in evacuation of such a huge power from the region.
Taking serious note of inordinate delay in preparation of Need Assessment Document for two major power sector schemes of Union Government-Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DUGJY) and Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS), Chief Minister fixed six months deadline for completion of all necessary formalities so as to start work on ground.
It is worthwhile to mention here that EXCELSIOR in its edition dated April 13 had exclusively highlighted the slackness on the part of concerned authorities of the Power Development Department in furnishing of NAD to the nodal agencies under these schemes, which were launched by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi on October 16, 2014 for rural and urban areas of the country.
“The delay in furnishing of NAD was mainly because of the fact that PDD never tried to update cost data since 2008 despite being aware of the fact that such a data is very imperative on various counts”, sources said, adding “now directions have been issued to the PDD to regularly update this data”.
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